Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20090125.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Genesis: Explaining The Foundations Of History
Part VII: Explaining God's Plan To Bless Men Regardless Of Apostasy
BB. Trusting A Good, Omnipotent God If Overpowered By Foes
(Genesis 37:28; 38:1-30)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

In facing growing pressures from errant foes, it is tempting for us to feel the despair Joseph did as his brothers sold him into slavery:

(1) One of our Church members last week expressed concern over the increased shift against or the erosion from upright stands by leaders, and what increased challenges it may mean for us in the future:

(a) She told of her concern about the media hype that fuels belief in the President as the "Messiah": on February 9, 2008, worldnetdaily.com noted Nation of Islam's leader, Louis Farrakhan had said that "when Obama talks, 'the Messiah is absolutely speaking'". Then, "newsweek.washingtonpost.com" on February 18, 2008 ran the article, "Under God" asking in a searching way, "Is Obama a (or the) Messiah?" I heard such talk revived last week on a local talk show.

(b) This hype emboldens those close to the President's political platform who oppose Biblical views, and that can lead to their pressuring even religious leaders to relax Biblical stands. Take Rick Warren as a case in point: our member explained a TV commentator at the inauguration reported that after Reverend Warren agreed to give the inauguration prayer, he received so much criticism from gays for his anti-gay stands on his web site that he deleted them from the site!

Thus, this believer voiced what I have heard other Christians and even secular folk repeatedly recently share on talk shows, that the moral stands on which our nation was based may be eroded by forces of darkness that lead even good men to surrender their upright stands!

That can tempt us to feel a sense of hopelessness!

(2) Ken Ham's article, "Evolving Tactics" in the Jan.-Mar. 2009 Answers magazine, p. 82-84 reports that New Atheist, Christopher Hitchens, in his best-selling book, God Is Not Great, claims teaching children religious views such as creationism is "child abuse"! Mr. Ham noted that were this persuasion to be enacted into law, life for creationists would be hard, tempting us to feel a sense of hopelessness!

(3) In addition, several people in our Church have often told me how they have been tempted to feel a sense of hopelessness in facing strong, errant foes at the local level as well!



So, we may ask, "How can we respond to strong, ungodly forces that leave us tempted to feel a sense of hopelessness?"

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "How may I effectively respond to the temptation to feel a sense of hopelessness in facing wrong but very influential foes?!"
  1. Genesis 37:23-28 tells of the sale of Joseph by his brothers into slavery, and Genesis 42:21 reveals it was a traumatic event for him.
  2. As Joseph headed off down the road into Egypt, his only Source of hope was God and His Word that promised him a bright future:
    1. God had previously given Joseph two dreams, promising that his brothers and family would one day submit to his rule, Gen. 37:6-11.
    2. Thus, as Joseph was sold into slavery just opposite his dreams from God of ruling, all he had for edification was his God and His Word.
  3. However, God and His Word were ALL Joseph NEEDED: even as he went into slavery, Joseph's Good God used His omnipotence to begin to SUBJECT his ungodly FOES to His plan, Genesis 38:1-30:
    1. Joseph's brothers sold him into Egypt in part for his dreams that told how Joseph would rule his older brothers, Genesis 37:5-8, 20, 27-28.
    2. Thus, their hatred of Joseph pitted them against GOD'S PLAN that the elder would serve the younger as taught in God's dreams to him!
    3. However, God SOVEREIGNLY began to subject Joseph's brothers to His plan even after they acted in conflict with it, Gen. 38:1-30:
      1. Judah, Joseph's older brother who had led the other brothers to sell Joseph into slavery (Gen. 37:26-28), countered God's will, 38:1-12:
        1. Judah violated Abraham's godly precedent that his descendants not marry pagan Canaanites (Gen. 24:3): Judah wed a Canaanite woman who bore him three sons, Er, Onan and Shelah, 38:1-5.
        2. Judah then obtained a Canaanite woman, Tamar as a wife for Er, but Er was so evil God slew him before he had a son, 38:6f.
        3. In line with the widespread custom that a brother marry his widowed sister-in-law to produce a son for the dead, Judah gave his second son, Onan to Tamar so she might bear a son unto Er, Gen. 38:8; Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Gen. 38:8-9.
        4. However, Onan did not want Judah's inheritance to Judah's firstborn, Er, to go to Tamar's son and not himself, so he vilely kept her from becoming pregnant by him, Genesis 38:9; Ibid.
        5. For this sin, God slew Onan as He had killed Er, Genesis 38:10!
        6. After losing two sons who had been wed to Tamar, Judah adopted a false belief typical of pagans that she was unlucky, so he deceived her by promising to give her his third son, Shelah while never intending do so lest Shelah also die, Gen. 38:11; H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Genesis, 1974, vol. II, p. 981.
        7. Finally, Judah's own Canaanite wife died, leaving his line in danger of becoming extinct: Judah was culturally obliged to give Shelah to Tamar, but he feared for Shelah's life if he did so, meaning Judah's line was about to become extinct, Gen. 38:12a!
      2. However, God wanted that line to thrive to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant of Genesis12:1-3. Thus, the Lord SOVEREIGNLY intervened , LETTING even MORE SIN occur to SALVAGE Judah's line OPPOSITE his own effort to let it become extinct:
        1. Tamar was angry that Judah had failed to give her Shelah, so God let her disguise herself as a prostitute in front of Judah that she might seduce him and become pregnant by him, 38:12b-16. [This event recalls the tragic incest of Lot and his daughters!]
        2. Realizing Judah might charge her with a capital offense because she became pregnant as a widow, while Judah was with her, she acquired his seal and staff to show he was the father, 38:16b-23.
        3. When Tamar was found to be with child, she produced Judah's seal and staff, leading to his confessing to being the father, and saving Tamar's life and that of her son(s), Genesis 38:24-26.
      3. Tamar delivered twin sons, and the younger son, Pharez, was born before his older brother, Zerah, Genesis 38:28-30.
      4. This revealed God's sovereignty: the younger would rule the older even in Judah's line as was typical of God's plan with all the patriarchs, be it in the past with Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael and with Isaac's sons, Jacob and Esau, or in the future with Jacob's sons, Joseph and his brothers! (Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 89!)
      5. Indeed, Israel's royal line passed through Pharez to David, Gen. 49:9-10; Ruth 4:18-22. Finally, Jesus, Son of David and Lion of the Tribe of Judah, will rule on that throne, Matt. 1:3, 16; Rev. 5:5!
Application: If overpowered by ungodly foes, may we (1) trust in Christ as Savior to be put under God's great care, John 1:11-12; Romans 8:32. (2) Then, may we trust God and His Word, knowing He is willing and able to fulfill His Word to bless in the proper time!

Lesson: Though Joseph had only God and His Word for hope when he was sold into slavery by his brothers, his God was good and omnipotent, all that Joseph needed, and God began to enforce His will in the life of Judah, a leader of Joseph's brothers, even as Joseph went into slavery!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

As we began this sermon, we noted the temptation believers feel to have a sense of hopelessness about the strong darkness we face, and how it tempts even religious leaders to back away from stands.

Thus, we apply this message (as follows):

(1) We learned that some New Atheists claim it is "child abuse" for us to teach Biblical views of creation versus evolution. (Ibid., Ham)

Actually, the truth leads us to just the opposite stance:

(a) Atheist Jacques Monod, a Nobel prize winner in molecular biology, speaking of Darwin's belief in natural selection as a premise to his theory of evolution, admitted: "Selection is the blindest, most cruel way of evolving new species, and more and more complex and refined organisms . . . the more cruel because it is a process of elimination, of destruction. The struggle for life and the elimination of the weakest is a horrible process, against which our whole modern ethic revolts. An ideal society is a non-selective society, it is one where the weak are protected; which is exactly the reverse of the so-called natural law." (Jacques Monod, Interview broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Commission on June 10, 1976 as cited in David H. Lane, "Theological Problems With Theistic Evolution," Bibliotheca Sacra, April-June 1994, p. 167)

(b) However, Genesis 1 involves no such cruelty. It states that God gently spoke the parts of the universe into existence, and the parts were each "good" and the whole was "very good."

Thus, teaching Biblical creation does not fit the charge of "child abuse" nearly as well as the teaching of evolution!

(2) On concerns about the demise of stands on moral issues, today, with faith in God and His Word, we reaffirm the Bible's stands:

(a) Regarding abortion, the Bible teaches, "Thou shalt not kill" (Exodus 20:13) in murder, and Psalm 51:5 reveals human life begins at conception! Thus, we affirm abortion on demand is murder!

(b) Regarding homosexuality, Leviticus 18:22 calls it an abomination, and Genesis 2:21-24 notes the Creator God intended physical intimacy to be between a man and a woman in a permanent marital union, that children be reared in a home with a male father and a female mother. We thus affirm homosexuality to be an abomination.

So, like Joseph in his time of need, today, we have God and His Word, so may we RELY on His WORD and HOPE in HIM!